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Joy

Fruit of the Spirit Lesson 2 of 9

Written by Kara Jenkins

This Bible lesson continues our series based on the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. Each installment will focus on a specific character quality that God creates in us through His Spirit.

Target Age Group: 1st - 3rd grade

Scriptures Pertaining to Joy: Galatians 5:22-26; Psalm 43:4, 21:6, 119:111; Proverbs 10:28; Isaiah 51:11, 55:12; Nehemiah 8:10; Habakkuk 3:18-19; John 15:11, 16:20; Hebrews 12:2; James 1:2

Learning Objectives: After this lesson, the children will demonstrate:

1. An understanding that joy is a fruit of the Spirit. 2. An understanding that God is our joy, from His Word comes joy, and our hope

for eternity gives us joy.

Bible Verse to Memorize: Habakkuk 3:18: “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” (ESV)

Items Needed:

• Bible (plus extras for children who forget to bring one)

• Song “Blessed Be the Name of the Lord” by Matt Redman found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL3NFhmxQxs

• Blank paper, crayons/markers

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• Piece of paper for parents with Habakkuk 3:18 and a list of this week’s relevant Scriptures written or printed on them, one for each family

Bible Lesson

Kindle Curiosity (5 minutes)

Do we know what Joy means?

Today I want us to learn a song together that expresses joy. In our lives here on earth, we will always have sorrow and tears. Because of sin, we will never be able to experience a life without sadness. But when we repent from our sin and turn to Christ for our salvation, we receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit allows us to produce the fruit of joy. This song is called “Blessed Be the Name of the Lord.” It is a song about praising God through the wonderful times and the sorrowful times of our lives. Even in our sadness, we can choose to have joy and praise God, saying “Blessed Be Your name, O Lord.” Let’s learn this song together!

God Revealed (15 minutes)

Because we have the Holy Spirit, we can have joy. Let’s read together Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (ESV) What do we already know about joy? (If we have the Spirit, we can have joy, no matter what.) Remember that after we believe and trust in Jesus Christ, He gives us the Holy Spirit, who lives within us. It is the Spirit who produces this fruit in us as we abide in Him. (Optional: Choose a child to add joy to the Fruit of the Spirit Tree as described at the beginning of the lesson.)

Where can we look to discover what joy truly is? (God’s Word!) There are many verses that talk about joy in the Bible. Since His Word is our truth, it is the first place we should turn to learn more about this fruit of the Spirit.

Let’s turn together to Psalm 43:4. (Help the children find this verse.) Would someone like to read this for us? “Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and

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I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.” (ESV) What can we discover about joy from this verse? (God is our joy!) Not only did the psalmist say that God is his joy, but his exceeding joy, joy that goes above and beyond even regular joy!

Now let’s turn to Psalm 119:111. Would someone like to read this verse for us? “Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.” (ESV) The psalmist is talking about God’s Word. He is saying that God’s Word is his forever, and it is the joy of his heart, or his deepest joy. Why do you think God’s Word is the joy of his heart? (Discuss.)

As we read God’s Word, we discover more and more of who He is. We learn about His promises to us and all that He has done. We can experience joy when we read and know God’s Word, just like the writer of this psalm!

We know that we can have joy through the Holy Spirit producing His fruit within us. We also know that God is our joy and that we experience joy through His Word. James tells believers to consider it joy when they go through difficult times in their lives (James 1:2). How is it possible to have joy, to praise God, in difficult times? (Allow them time to think and offer explanations.) Joy is very different from happiness. Happiness cannot be present when someone is sad. But joy can always be present, even at the same time as sadness.

Now let’s look at another verse to find out how joy can be present at the same time as sadness! Turn to Proverbs chapter ten, verse 28 (help them find the passage). Would anyone like to read this verse for us? “The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.” (ESV) If we are Christians, we have something the rest of the world does not: the hope of eternal life with God. After we die, we know we will live forever with God. He will wipe away every tear from our eyes and there will be no more sorrow. When we understand that we have this to look forward to, it gives us joy! We know that the hard times we experience on earth will not last forever because of Christ. Knowing this truth allows us to have joy even in the midst of sadness and sorrow.

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Tell the children, the Bible tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength in sadness (Nehemiah 8:9). When we go through these desert places, the joy we have within us through the Holy Spirit is our strength. He holds our hands and walks with us every step of the way. Psalm 56:8 says that God holds our tears in His bottle. He is never far when we suffer, but right by our sides.

• Praise God together again with the song “Blessed Be the Name of the Lord.” Allow them to move around freely, maybe making up motions to go with the song.

Daily Knowing (7-10 minutes)

We can experience joy when we know God. He is our joy, and the more we know Him, the greater our joy becomes. We can experience joy when we read God’s Word. In His Word we discover His truth, His promise, and who He is. We can experience joy when we remember how much Christ suffered for us and how He is worth suffering for now. And we can experience joy when we remember the hope we have of spending all of eternity with God without suffering or sadness. However, if we are not abiding in God (coming to know Him more each day and living for Him), we cannot expect to have the fruit of joy produced within us. It would be like taking away the water and sunlight from a fruit tree. The fruit will die and no more will be able to grow.

If we are abiding in Christ, we will have the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and we can say, although I am suffering, “…yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:18, ESV) This is our memory verse for this week, “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” Let’s work together to memorize this verse!